The Leaf is Ruff on the Other Side
by deepseadare
Summary: "Battle after battle. Blood has spilled. Bruises have healed. Time has passed. But finally, the time has come to turn a new leaf." - The Rowdyruff Boys have reached a turning point in their lives, and it's all thanks to their mortal enemies. [RRB redemption fic, not beta read]
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Capture

The sun was already low in the sky by the time the boys had managed to pull themselves from the Powerpuff Girls' powerful grasp. No inch of their skin had come unscathed from their onslaught of attacks, despite their hard efforts. The boys flew through the sky in complete silence. The sky was a dismal gray, which matched the boys' mood well. A heavy weight of shame hung around their necks with the reminder of their failure. Again.

At the head of the group, Brick steamed and simmered. He'd occasionally mutter a curse or an insult to the girls under his breath, his mouth barely moving but sounding just as mean-spirited as usual. His jaw was tight and his body was tense with anger that boiled just beneath his skin.

The silence of the trip persisted even longer. That is, until Boomer broke it.

"Wow Brick, you looked really funny when Buttercup punched you through three buildings in a row, didn't y-"

Boomer was promptly cut off by a punch directly in the face.

"Shut up, idiot. I'm tryin' to focus on escaping from those stupid girls," Brick spat, not even bothering to turn to face him. "And quit flying near me, will ya? I know you've got some sort of wacko disease going on with you right now, and I know damn well you ain't spreading it to me."

Butch snickered beside him, showing off his swollen lip- courtesy of Bubbles. "Yeah, Boomer, don't spread your gross cooties to us!"

"Heh, I bet he was hanging out with some dumb girls and got sick, weren't you, sissy?" Brick added, his anger lifting a little bit.

Boomer's eyes- well, eye, since one of his was swollen shut- widened for a second before narrowing in indignance. "W-what? No! No way! I just-" He was interrupted by his own loud sneeze, sending out a spray of mucus.

"Eww!" Brick and Butch said in unison, sticking their tongues out in disgust as they looked back at him.

"Gross, Boomer! Get away from me, man!" Brick flew a little bit faster, his red streak trailing behind him as he left the sick Boomer fall behind. Butch promptly followed him.

"See ya later, dork!"

Boomer watched them laugh and blow raspberries at him as they flew farther and farther away. His strength just wasn't up today. With the exhaustion from the recent battle with the Powerpuff Girls along with the dastardly cold he'd caught the other day, Boomer couldn't find the strength in him to speed up and catch up with them. With a nasally sigh, he allowed himself to fall back and watch them go.

"They shouldn't be talking," he grumbled under his breath. "They got their butts whooped just like I did." He stopped to cough into his hand for a moment, his throat going dry.

Man, he just really wanted to be home.

Feeling pissed and tired and sore all over, he slowly made his way to their stolen home in the woods.

* * *

Boomer finally landed, glad to hear the crunch of leaves and grass beneath his shoes. He was eager to lay down in bed and rest after yet another failed fight against the Powerpuff Girls. He scowled at the thought of them and walked up the rickety, wooden stairs to push open the door.

Brick and Butch were lazing around like usual, chatting about something and exchanging raucous laughter. Behind them, their fireplace crackled, filling the shack with a warm, cozy feeling. However, the faces his brothers made when they saw him enter out of the corner of their eyes made Boomer feel the exact opposite.

"Oh, uh, hey, Boomer," Butch deadpanned. "Brick and I were talkin', and we think you should take the rug for tonight." He said it so nonchalantly, as if he were telling Boomer about tomorrow's weather rather than that he was being kicked out from their room.

Boomer blinked slowly, his mouth twitching into a frown. "What? No way! I'm not a dog. I should be able to sleep in the bed just like you t-"

"Oh, wouldja can it already, idiot?" Brick snapped, getting up from his chair. His hair was still messy from the fight. "I said it before, but since you're so stupid I guess I'll have to say it again. You're sick and I don't want you comin' near me, got it?"

Butch piped up beside him and raised a fist, "Yeah! What he said-"

"So that's why you get the rug. Spread your germs all over it as much as you want. Just feel lucky I don't make you sleep outside," Brick said, a smirk creeping onto his face as he crossed his arms. The smirk looked more stupid than intimidating, considering Brick's swollen cheek, likely from one of Buttercup's famous knuckle sandwiches.

Boomer furrowed his eyebrows at him and bit the inside of his cheek. His anger was climbing. He did nothing about it, though, and instead decided to stare at the floor. As usual.

Feeling satisfied with the reaction, Brick turned away from him to go to their room and watch on their stolen TV like he usually did. Butch grinned, showing off his messed up teeth from the fight. He stuck his tongue out at Boomer before turning to follow Brick inside.

Watching them go, Boomer muttered sharply under his breath, "Asshole."

At that, Brick stopped in his tracks, his arms visibly tensing. Slowly turning around, he made direct eye contact with Boomer. His eyes dilated, and he looked almost animalistic in the flickering light of the fireplace. "Oh, I'm sorry, Boomer," he spat, slowly floating over to him. "What was that comment? I guess my super hearing missed it somehow." Brick's voice was saccharine sweet. The unsaid message was there. It was a dare. A dare for Boomer to challenge him.

Boomer didn't look at him, instead choosing to glare at at the wood floor below him. He was silent.

"Are you deaf, Boomer? Your leader asked you a question." Brick's mocking voice rang like an alarm.

Boomer clenched his fists and shot his head up to face him dead-on. Brick's red eyes stared hot daggers into Boomer's own.

He opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out. He tried his best to gulp around the forming lump in his throat.

Boomer trembled. It was a no-go.

"N-nothing," he mumbled, fists dropping. "I said nothing." Boomer bit his lower lip, knowing damn well that it was wobbling right now. He was waving his white flag in Brick's face. Just like always.

Brick raised a brow. "Oh?" He leaned back, hands on hips. "That's what I thought." He turned around and smoothed out his hair before slowly making his way to to their room once more. He paused for a moment, and Boomer tensed, unsure what to expect. "Oh, and another thing, just for that, you're feeding Fuzzy tonight." And with that, Brick entered their room.

Like a baby duck following its mother, Butch laughed and blew another raspberry at him before turning around to fly after Brick for the second time. Boomer grit his teeth and said nothing. They were growing more and more insufferable by the day.

Once Boomer had given up trying to enter their room after getting pushed out so many times, he settled for sitting by a window and talking to Fuzzy. He looked out over the forest and up at the sky. Rain was starting to come down.

"God, Fuzzy. Brick and Butch are such… jerks!" He puffed up his cheeks and pulled his knees up further to his chest. "I… I hate 'em!" he yelled. If his brothers heard, they didn't care. "One of these days… I-I'll… sock 'em in the face! Show 'em that I'm not dumb! O-or weak." He bit his lip and turned to Fuzzy. "You shoulda seen them today, Fuzzy! They were all over the place. The girls beat us instantly! Brick's a bad leader and a meanie." He punched the wall in front of him, leaving a dent in the weathered wood. "You know what I'm saying, right?"

Fuzzy stared back at him with pleading eyes. How long had it been since they'd stolen his house?

"...You too, Fuzzy? No one wants to talk to me!" Boomer groaned, rubbing his snot on his sleeve. "I swear I'm always alone! Butch and Brick treat me like- like- I'm some dummy! A-and I'm not! I'm a member of the Rowdyruff Boys just like they are! I'm a villain! I'm scary!" He puffed up his chest but quickly fell into another coughing fit. "Dang... This cold is pissin' me off."

Boomer's usually happy-go-lucky demeanor was soiled. He turned and ripped off the tape covering Fuzzy's mouth, promptly shoving in a piece of ham. Fuzzy let out an 'ouch' sound at the sudden tape removal that was quickly muffled by the ham. Boomer didn't wait for him to finish chewing before replacing the tape.

"Well… I guess I'll go watch this fire burn, or something. Since nobody wants to be around me because I'm sick and stupid." He spat the last word with venom and hovered dejectedly into the chair in front of the fireplace, slumping into it in a mixture of anger and boredom. The sound of Brick and Butch's laughter rang loud from the other room, making Boomer's stomach twist ever so slightly. Boomer would give them the finger if he was physically able to do so.  
Even amidst his brothers' laughter, the crackling fireplace, and the steady rain outside, Boomer found himself drifting asleep.

* * *

"Is he really sleepin'?"

"Yeah, he is. How'd this idiot fall asleep sitting up?"

"Who cares, just hurry up and shake him."

Boomer was rudely awakened by a firm grip on either of his sides and a rather wild shaking.

"Get up, moron!"

Boomer's mind was still waking up.

"We said get up!" The words were followed by a clunk on the head.

Boomer struggled in the grip, his eyes still tightly closed to deflect them from the spit that was being flung at him. "I'm awake I'm awake! Quit shaking me!" He pushed away, trying to shake away his grogginess.

Brick's face was his first greeting when Boomer opened his eyes.

"Sheesh, took ya long enough!" Brick snapped, looking annoyed. "Go fetch us some drinks, will ya? You know, the usual."

Butch interjected, "Mountain Dew for me!"

"-and Dr. Pepper for me." Brick said. He paused for a moment. "Or Coca-cola. Surprise me."

Boomer just squinted at them, his expression reluctant.

"Hurry up, go!" Brick waved him away with a flourish of his hand.

"But… last time you sent me out alone to get something, I got kidnapped by the Powerpuff Girls. It'd be better if we went out togeth-"

"Quit bein' such a baby! Just don't be stupid this time! It's your fault by letting yourself get caught by such a bunch of stupid girls. You're lucky we were even there to save you."

"Yeah, just don't be so stupid… like you always are!" Butch added with a little snicker.

They fistbumped right in front of him, and Boomer furrowed his brows.

He didn't want to fight it this time. He got up from his seat with a sigh and hovered over to the door. He pushed it open to find the damp earth and the ever-so-steady downpour of rain. It smelled strongly of mud.

He turned around. "Uhh… it's raining. A lot."

With an uninterested stare, Brick said, "And? So what?" Butch stood next to him, arms crossed.

Boomer stayed still for a few moments, hoping for Brick to change his mind. Five seconds of silence was a lost cause. Understanding his fate, Boomer dejectedly flew out the door and slammed the door shut behind him.

"JERKS!" he yelled into the pouring rain. His blue streak was a sharp contrast against the gray sky. The rain he was now soaked in came faster and faster. Boomer groaned, having to push his soggy hair out of his face every five seconds. He sniffled and rubbed his nose on his wet sleeve as his eyes scanned the city for a convenience store to rob. He wanted one close by, so that he'd hopefully be able to steal quickly without alerting the Powerpuff Girls. Boomer shivered, partly due to the memory of his incident with the candy and partly due to the cold rain seeping into his clothes. Boomer was grateful when a store finally came into view. He slowly descended, sneezing multiple times along the way. This rain was definitely not helping his cold. At all.

When he landed, Boomer felt nauseous. He should be in bed, resting, but instead he was outside in the pouring rain getting soda for his ungrateful brothers. He tugged at the shirt sticking to his body. He felt sick and tired and wanted to get this over with. He shoved his face up to the glass of the store. The 2 litre soda bottles on the shelves instantly caught his eye. Dr. Pepper… Mountain Dew… and Sprite! Boomer lit up. It was his favorite.

Figuring he'd get back home sooner than he thought boosted Boomer's mood instantly, enough to get his mind off of the snot running down his chin and the growing soreness of his throat.

Boomer leaned back a bit, a playful, devilish grin spreading across his face. "And he's going for the…" He crashed through the window, swiping as much soda as he could hold. "Soda!"

It was a score, and Boomer was satisfied as he looked at the sodas he'd snagged. He quickly took to the air, leaving behind the sound of angry yelling and the store alarm.

"Now time to get 'em to-"

"Hold it right there, Boomer!"

His heart dropped and he froze, disappointment flowing through his body.

You've got to be kidding.

Three pairs of feet dropped to the street floor. They landed with a soft thud that echoed throughout the streets.

Boomer turned to face the Powerpuff Girls.

Every time, like clockwork, they showed up to ruin his life. He locked eyes with their leader and frowned, still holding the litres of soda close to his body.

Blossom stared him down, as if judging him him, before her eyes drifted down the to the soda in his arms.

She quirked a brow. "Really, Boomer?" she said, sounding like a parent who'd just caught their child stealing from the cookie jar. "I thought you learned from last time."

Boomer shot back a mean look and bared his teeth in an attempt to look intimidating. "Well guess what? I never learn anything!" he spat back, smirking as if it was a witty comeback.

The girls shot each other a look, and Bubbles covered her mouth to stifle a giggle.

Blossom stepped forward, clearing her throat. "Well then, Boomer. I'm sure you remember last time. You can either give the soda up, or-"

Buttercup pounded her fists together. "-we can do this the hard way."

Gulping every so slightly, Boomer had flashbacks to his first, very similar encounter with the girls, seeming all too similar. His eyes drifted over to the litre of Sprite cradled in the crook of his arm. He sucked in a breath and looked them dead in the eyes. With a cocky grin, he popped open a litre and chugged it halfway, finishing with a hearty 'ahhh'.

The girls watched his every move with deep frowns, Buttercup especially.

"You can't beat me up… if you can't catch me!" And with those words, Boomer took to the sky. A blue, carefree idiot with many litres of stolen soda running from three girls who, when together, could easily overpower him. Not to mention outfly.

Boomer wasn't exactly the smartest person out there, so t's not like he would learn from his past mistakes so easily.

And thus, the chase was on. Four colored streaks zoomed through the air. Boomer stuck his tongue out at them cockily, sure he could lose them. He was more wrong than anything (of course). Behind him, Buttercup grit her teeth at his display. What made him think he could be so cocky when they'd captured him so easily just a few months back? Psyching herself up, Buttercup took in a deep breath, immediately pushing herself to fly faster.

The next time Boomer decided to take a peek behind him, Buttercup was right on his tail. She grinned at him menacingly with narrowed eyes. Boomer gasped aloud, trying to speed up. The rain pattered against his face and hit his eyes, slowing him down significantly.

He failed. Buttercup nabbed him by the shoe and spun him around in a fast circle. Boomer dropped all the soda instantly. Air whizzed past his ears, and the scenery around him blended into one fast blur. He held his breath, afraid he'd throw up from the vigorous movement.

A voice from somewhere around him proved to be his savior.

"Buttercup, quit it! You got him already. Let's go take him to the Professor now."

Boomer knew that voice. It was the redhead. The one that always talked too much and used big words.

Above him, Buttercup groaned, and Boomer felt himself slowly coming to a stop. He opened his not swollen eye and tried to assess the situation. He was upside down and hanging from Buttercup's iron grip. He looked down. In the scuffle, all the soda had splashed all over the street below. Boomer grit his teeth.

"I'm just trying to have fun with him, leader girl," Buttercup said back, a note of annoyance in her voice. "

Blossom crossed her arms. "You already got your "fun". We fought the boys earlier. Look at him! Even his eye is still swollen shut." She rubbed her temple. "Look, they sent him out alone again. Injured right after a fight. And it didn't even take us five minutes to apprehend him. There's no need to rough him up again."

Boomer felt his cheeks warm from Blossom's comment on how easy it was to catch him. Oh, would he ever learn?

Another voice added to the conversation. It had to be the blue one. Bubbles.

"Yeah, Buttercup. Let's just get him back to the Professor. It'll be just like last time when I went undercover! This is the second chance we've been waiting for."

Her voice was high and sing-songy. It grated at Boomer's ears. He wrinkled his nose and glanced up from his upside down position to look at Buttercup. A scowl painted her features.

"Oh come on! He's practically yelling for us to beat him up again. These villains will never learn if we don't teach 'em a lesson!" she argued. "It's our job as superheroes to whip these guys into shape!" She pointed at him. "Especially this one. Even Bubbles isn't as dumb as him."

"Hey!" she yelled.

Blossom shut her eyes. "True, but still."

"Hey!" she yelled again, louder this time.

The three argued back and forth on whether to rush him back to the Professor or to fight him once more. All the while, Boomer dangled below this, anger climbing and teeth grinding inside his mouth.

He decided he's had enough and used Buttercup's distraction as a chance to wriggle out of her grip.

Once he was free, he whipped around to look at them. "Shut up!" he yelled. For a second he felt like Brick. "Shut up shut up shut up! I don't wanna listen to a bunch of stupid girls with cooties argue!"

Across from him, the girls' eyes widened in unison, a faint gasp escaping their lips.

Buttercup narrowed her eyes at him. "We do not have cooties!" she said, her voice low and threatening. She flew close to Boomer, merely inches away from his face.

Boomer crossed his arms and smirked. "Do too."

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Do not!"

"Do too."

"Do. NOT!" Buttercup shouted through grit teeth. Her face grew more and more red.

Feeling the rising tension, Blossom piped up behind her. "Buttercup. Down." She then directed her attention to Boomer who was having an intense staring contest with Buttercup. "Quit being so childish, Boomer. Just take it back and come with us peacefully. Do it the easy way. For your own sake."

Boomer tore his eyes away from Buttercup's, staring straight at Blossom. Oh how he hated being told what to do. "No! I get enough stupid orders from my brothers. Don't start thinkin' you can tell me what to do now! I'm not coming with you! I'm… not dumb!" he spat the last word out as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. He turned his back on them, and the girls tensed, ready to fly after him again if he tried to fly away. Boomer paused for a bit and just floated there before he turned back around quickly to face them. "Oh and by the way, your dumb dad should've named you all Buttface because you're all ugly!" He ended the statement by childishly sticking his tongue out at them.

He finally turned back on them again and got ready to fly.

It didn't take even five seconds before three pairs of fists connected with his body.

And with that, Boomer was unconscious.

* * *

Boomer awoke around an hour later with a small groan, his head throbbing and aching. The girls had definitely not held back. The pain from both fights stacked up, leaving him too weak to even move. He cursed under his breath and opened one of his eyes slowly. The sudden light left black spots in his vision and made his head spin. He blinked rapidly, wincing a little bit.

He continued to lay there for what felt like hours before he finally got a hold of himself and was able to move slightly, although everything still hurt. Boomer got to a sitting position and looked around, rubbing his swollen cheek and trying to open up his black eye. One eye served him just fine, though.

Slowly but surely, he took in all of his surroundings.

Test tubes.

Different contraptions.

And… an electric cage of sorts.

Boomer groaned quietly, his stomach dropping.

His suspicions were confirmed. He was trapped in the Professor's lab for a second time. Still, Boomer was slightly comforted now that he knew where he was, at least. He then directed his attention towards the electric cage surrounding him and reached out his hand to touch it before quickly pulling it back.

"I probably shouldn't…," he thought aloud. He lowered his arm for a moment. "If Brick and Butch were here they'd call me stupid." Boomer puffed out his cheeks in frustration. "And. I'm. Not. STUPID!" He punched the electric cage without another thought, his eyes shut and teeth grit.

Electricity pumped through his veins, sending him back against the floor of his small containment area.

He cried out as he hit the ground, rubbing his electrocuted hand. On second thought, not punching the cage would've been a great idea.

Boomer was sure he'd alerted the girls to his awakening. With all of his energy spent from punching the cage, he decided to lay still on the floor.

In a few seconds, three streaks of light flashed past his vision.

"Oh, he's awake!" whispered Bubbles.

After a few moments, approaching footsteps echoed on the floor. Boomer looked up and locked eyes with Blossom. She sat down in front of the cage and stared at him for a few moments. She crossed her arms.

"Do you boys ever learn?" she began. "You made it way too easy for us to capture you with the state you went out in. Are you that desperate for another beating for today?"

Boomer scowled at her. "No," he grumbled. "I didn't want to go out. My brothers made me. I'm not that dumb." He narrowed his eyes. "So shut up."

Blossom stared at him, her face listless. She didn't say anything for a few moments. The only sound was the muffled sound of rain pouring outside.

She floated up again and turned her back to him. "Whatever you say, Boomer." She shrugged and didn't look at him. "Just know that the girls and I won't be making a mistake with this second chance you've given us. Now that we've captured you, we're taking you boys down."

Bubbles and Buttercup said nothing as Blossom departed. Buttercup followed suit, and Bubbles hesitated for a second before leaving, as if she wanted to say something to him.

Boomer watched them fly up the stairs with a deep hatred. He was thankful for their leave, though. He wanted to be alone.

After he heard the lab door shut behind them, he scoured the floor of his cage, desperate for a distraction, if any. He found nothing but cold tile and dust. There was something right next to his cage, though. It was most likely one of the Professor's odd inventions. Boomer wasn't sure what its purpose was, but it was shiny. Shiny and reflective. He got as close to the edge of the cage as he could without getting hurt.

He stared at the invention, and his reflection stared back at him. He was a sight to see. One swollen eye bruised a deep purple and the other red and puffy. His hair was messy and stuck up in odd places, definitely a result of being punched and kicked over and over from angering the girls. Multiple bruises and small scratches lined his face, and snot ran from his reddened nose. He lifted his hands up to his face and stared at how scratched up they were. He let out a slow, tired breath.

In short, he looked absolutely terrible.

Boomer rolled over on his side and faced the other wall of his cage. He didn't want to look at himself anymore. He covered the sides of his head with his hands and shut his eyes. He was still sick and stuck in an electric cage while wearing soaking wet clothes. And to make it even worse, he was stuck inside the home of his mortal enemies, the Powerpuff Girls. He bit on the inside of his cheek.

He felt pathetic.

He was sore, cold, and most of all, alone.

The image of his brothers drifted into his mind. If Boomer had to guess, Brick and Butch were probably curled up in front of their fireplace, watching the pouring rain and pissed off at not having received their soda.

Boomer tucked his legs up to his chin, tearing up just a little bit. He pulled at the wet clothes draping his body and sniffled, feeling angry at himself and everything around him. His voice wobbled when he broke the silence.

"They're right. I really am stupid," he whispered to no one at all.

* * *

 _update 25/4/18: fixed some errors and added some stuff to the beginning_

 _I've been thinking about writing a RRB redemption story for a long time so I'm going for it baes! wish me luck_

 _this was gonna be a longer first chapter but I just wanna get something out right now so I shortened it, h_ _ope this works fine for an intro. expect this thing to be around 5 chapters (if I can articulate myself that fast,)_

 _reviews and feedback super appreciated! 3_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Fight

Not long after they'd exited the lab, the girls were already suiting up to leave. Rain continued to pour, only seeming to increase as time went on. If anyone was still outside, they would've headed inside by now.

However, for the Powerpuff Girls, their day was far from over.

They knew the Rowdyruff Boys would be angry at Boomer's disappearance and would know the girls had taken him. Who else would've? The girls had learned from their past plan and decided that a straight-on ambush would be their best bet at taking the Rowdyruffs down for good. Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup stood in front of their bedroom windows, ready to fly out. They shot each other a determined look as their silent way of saying 'good luck.' And with that, they took to the sky.

The girls flied steadily, looking out over the city. They hoped no more crime happened while they were fighting the boys. Blossom furrowed her brows. Even if the boys were down one brother, that didn't mean that she and the others should let their guard down that easily. The Rowdyruff boys were their _counterparts_ , after all. They were still powerful. There was nothing more dangerous than getting too comfortable in a fight.

Not long after going outside, the girls were soaked through. Their wet hair flapped in their face as they flew, and their clothes grew heavy with water. Blossom squinted against the rain stared out at the sun bobbing just above the horizon. Its burning orange embers were covered by the dismal gray of the rainclouds, giving Townsville a gloomy look of foreboding. She frowned, knowing that it might be a long time before they headed home, considering how long their fights with the Boys usually dragged out to.

Soon, the woods containing Fuzzy's cabin came into view, and the girls sped up. They scanned the forest until their eyes located the rickety wooden structure. When they spotted it, Blossom signalled for Bubbles and Buttercup to follow her. They made a slow but steady descent, sure not to alert the boys to their entrance. As if sensing the oncoming ambush, the pouring rain seemed to fall even harder. The rain pelted the ground and the roof of the cabin, testing the structure's rotted wood.

Blossom crouched and stepped forward slowly until she was close enough to see through the house's front window. She leaned in to peer through it. From what she could see, Butch sat in the wooden rocking chair, playing on a- most likely- stolen Nintendo DS. Blossom was grateful for him being distracted. It'd make the ambush easier. However… where was Brick? Buttercup and Bubbles sidled up beside her and peeked inside, too. They looked at each other and nodded, having assessed the situation. Blossom ducked down and sat in the wet grass, her dress squelching beneath her. She rubbed her chin and furrowed her brows in thought. Just how was this ambush going to go?

She opened her mouth to whisper her plan but realized that there was no need considering how loud the rain was coming down. Any noise they made would be well-covered, anyways. She spoke loudly and freely, "Now, girls, we know Butch is in there, and he's currently distracted. The logical route is to take advantage of this and attack him now when he's least expecting it." She paused. "But… it might backfire if we don't know about Brick's whereabouts. If we just go for it now, Brick could come in at any time and surprise us. Which could ultimately… lead to our defeat." Blossom bit on the inside of her cheek. She didn't want to be reckless and barrel in there without being aware of Brick's location, but she also didn't want to wait too long and miss the chance to get Butch when there's a possibility that he was alone.

Beside her, Buttercup made a dismissive motion with her hand. She was already standing up. "Don't stress over it, Blossom. He's probably in his room or something, watching TV."

"I _should_ stress over it, this could finally be our chance to take down the b-"

Buttercup didn't bother to let her finish and flew in front of the door.

Blossom's stomach dropped. "Buttercup!" she yelled, standing up, too. "Buttercup, wait! We still need to plan-"

And like a five year old charging for the last McDonald's chicken nugget, Buttercup rammed through the door at lightning speed with a loud warrior cry.

Blossom and Bubbles watched as she blasted into the room and went straight for Butch. He jumped a bit at the sound of the door flying off of its hinges along with the sound of it crashing to the floor. His surprise was instantly overshadowed by pain as Buttercup's fist connected with his face. He flew backwards and hit the top of the fireplace, just barely missing being tossed into its flames. He gasped as the wind was knocked from his lungs. Below him, his DS clattered to the floor.

Buttercup watched as he glanced over to it, his eyes going wide. She didn't give him any more time to think and quickly went back in, grabbing him by the collar and sending him flying across the room. He connected with the rotted wooden walls and let out a yell. Buttercup laughed and pumped the air with her fist at having landed two good hits on him.

She grabbed him by the hair and pulled him up. "What's wrong, Butch? Not fightin' back, huh?" she said, her tone mocking.

Butch stared at her for a few beats before finally speaking. His voice grew angrier and louder with each word. 'You… made... me… lose… _THE LEVEL_!" he shouted, spitting a little bit, much to Buttercup's dismay. In a flash, Butch's fist connected with Buttercup's chin, which sent her flying back into a window, shattering it. Buttercup let out a groan at the collision. She was spread out on the wet, muddy grass but quickly recovered and shot back up. She stared at him through the now-shattered window.

"That all you got? The _Professor_ can hit harder than that!" she yelled back at him with a cocky grin as she rubbed the back of her head.

Butch stared back at her with grit teeth, shaking ever so slightly. But just like always, Butch's frown slowly stretched into a smile. He slowly raised his arms and leaned forward, his right eye twitching with excitement. "Oh, that? That was just a _warm up_ , Butterbutthead."

Buttercup didn't have time to get offended at the lousy nickname because in an instant, he bolted forward and tackled her to the ground. She let out a yelp when his body collided with hers.

As they wrestled and flailed on the floor, Bubbles and Blossom finally rose from their spots to aid their sister.

"We're coming in, Buttercup!" Blossom yelled from above.

"Yeah!" Bubbles added. "Now get off of my sister, you… big green doo doo head!"

Bubbles immediately flew in and blasted Butch with her lasers, earning herself a loud yell.

Butch flew off of Buttercup and turned to face Bubbles with a grimace. He shot back at her with his own eye beams, making sure not to miss. She cried and fell back as his beams overpowered her. After knocking her back, he flew into the air and raised his arms defensively in case any of them were to charge at him. He looked over each of them as if analyzing them, his usual grin appeared on his face as he made eye contact with each of them. It could've been anger, nervousness, or excitement. Maybe even all of them in one! Any common sense for him to flee from the clear uneven match immediately flushed itself from his mind. His grin spread wider.

"So all three of ya, huh?" he yelled, his body twitching. He turned behind him to look at the house, as if waiting for someone to emerge. When nobody did, he turned back to them with a menacing look. "Well then… I guess I get to whoop all o' ya just by myself!"

The girls braced themselves, stepping forward with a fire in their eyes.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Butch. You're outnumbered!" Bubbles yelled.

Blossom made direct eye contact with Butch. "Butch, I'll give you the option to come with us peacefully-"

"Can it, pink eye!" he said gruffly.

Blossom deepened her glare and stiffened her jaw. So much for trying to be peaceful.  
"I don't wanna hear anymore talkin'!" he groaned. "All I want is..." His eyes lit up. "... _Battling!_ " He pounded his chest and laughed raucously before charging forward all of a sudden, eyes wide and tongue hanging out of his mouth.

The girls followed suit and bolted straight for him, their colored streaks trailing behind him. A rush of adrenaline tingled just beneath their skin as they charged head on with the most unpredictable Rowdyruff of them all.

* * *

Brick laid snug in his bed with his limbs laid out all around him as if he were a starfish. His hair was tangled beneath him from all the tossing and turning, and his hat was somewhere by his feet. Loud snores and a bit of drool escaped from his mouth as he slept.

Even though he was a villain, Brick made sure to get lots of "beauty sleep", as Boomer and Butch liked to call it despite Brick's angry threats to kick them out. With the rain raging outside and the sun dipping below the horizon, now seemed the perfect time for getting in somem nap time.

However, it was ruined by the body slamming through the roof and directly onto Brick's sleeping frame.

Brick awoke instantly on impact, shrieking and sputtering. "W-what the hell?!" he cried, swiping at Butch who was still laying on top of him. "Butch?! Get off of me, man! I'm tryin' to sleep!" He quickly shook off his grogginess and began coughing at the sawdust and rain coming in from the hole in the roof. He looked up and widened his eyes. His tone turned angry. "Jesus, dude! What are ya doing flying through our roof? You know we don't know how the hell to fix this!" Brick was about to yell at Butch more before three silhouettes became clear to him through the roof's gap. His eyes widened and searched around the bed for his hat. He spotted it and shoved it onto his head firmly before finally facing them. A scowl painted his features. "Well well well," he said with a shake of his hips. He tilted his head ever so slightly. "Just couldn't get enough of me, huh, babes? One fight with the Brickster couldn't satisfy you so you went and tracked me out here." Brick smirked and flicked his messy hair. "Pretty _desperate_ if you ask me."

The girls all simultaneously rolled their eyes. They didn't have time for Brick's usual mindless spiel. Blossom flicked her eyes over to the horizon. The sun was almost fully hidden, and its golden light was fading fast. She chewed on the inside of her cheek and redirected her attention back to Brick. If they were gonna make it back home before their bedtime, they needed to skip all the nonsense talk. Bubbles and Buttercup followed her as she slowly descended onto the top of the roof. They all peered into the hole at Butch laid out on the bed in pain and Brick glaring up at them.

"Don't flatter yourself, Brick," she said firmly. "We're only here because your brother was dumb enough to try and rob a place on his own for the _second_ time now." She narrowed her eyes. "We captured him. And now we're here for the both of you."

Brick scoffed and muttered, "Dammit, Boomer" under his breath. He turned back to Blossom with an intense glare. "Well, whatever. If you wanna capture us then you're gonna hafta drag us by our cold, dead hands! Right Butch?"

Butch shook his head vigorously to get the dust off of his head before nodding. "You got it, bro!" he exclaimed, hopping to his feet and into a fighting stance.

The boys and girls stared at each other intensely for a few seconds before letting themselves go. Their colored streaks flashed behind them as they bolted towards each other.

In a brilliant moment, the forest lit up in a flurry of red, green, and blue.

Butch locked his sights on Buttercup. Even in a fight where they were down one team member, his instincts kicked in and he went for his usual opponent. He kicked forward with his right leg, hitting Buttercup right in her cheek. The force sent her backwards a bit, but she quickly recovered with a barrage of punches. They all landed on Butch's upper torso with a lound, puncutated _thunk_. He grunted and bolted up to escape her hits. From his high vantage point, he shot lasers at her. She saw the attack coming and countered with her own eye beams. Both of them were on high alert.

As the two fought, Blossom and Bubbles were left to go after Brick. They flew around each other for a few moments, taking their time to assess their opponent. Brick studied them both carefully, not used to taking two puffs at once. He side-eyed Butch and saw how his hands were filled fighting Buttercup. Brick let out a shaky exhale. He was on his own this time.

He smirked at the girls to mask the small anxiety he felt at the situation.

 _Be cool, Brick. You're the leader. You're in charge. You can take 'em,_ he thought to himself. Feeling reassured by his mini pep talk, he finally charged in. _Hm. Pigtails over there looks easier to take down._ Satisfied by his decision, he landed his first kick on Bubbles.

She let out a high-pitched squeal, making Brick grin. Just as he went to retract his leg, she grabbed onto it with an iron grip and venom in her eyes. Bubbles swung him around and sent him flying into the nearest tree. Brick let out an 'oof' as he hit the hard bark.

He rubbed his head and brushed the wood dust from his body. He wasn't given long to recover, though, since Blossom and Bubbles were already back in mere seconds. In an instant, two pairs of fists were pummeling him into the tree. It shook with the constant impact, sending leaves and small branches raining down.

Brick's anger grew with each punch. "Get- offa- ME!" he shrieked. His hyper-voice came out on the last word, and the girls covered their ringing ears at the sound, shrinking back a little. Brick took the opportunity to fly away. "Man," he said, furrowing his brows. "This is a lot harder than I thought it'd be." He searched the area for Butch again, albeit a little more desperately than before. He spotted him by a patch in the floor, pummeling Buttercup into the mud. They were both covered in scratches and dirt. He seemed to be having more luck than him in this battle. Brick peeked behind him to check on the girls. By now they'd recovered from Brick's yell and were gaining on him. " _Crap,"_ he muttered. He sped up a little bit, hoping to get to Butch in time.

Luckily, his headstart proved to be useful. He landed quickly next to Butch and spoke in a quick flurry, "Hey bro, ya done yet? You should help me whoop those dumbo girls over there, they can't get enough of me! It's almost sad-"

His words were cut off by a swift kick in the back that sent him face-first into the dirt. He sputtered as mud and grass entered his mouth. Probably some bugs, too. Brick's eyes watered as he frantically scraped the intruders from his mouth. Being forced to eat dirt was _Boomer's_ thing, not him!

" _You…"_ he whipped around to see Bubbles smiling at him. A fire lit inside of him and he charged. " _I'm gonna pull your_ pigtails _out, girly!"_ he snarled, his eyes dilating.

She tilted her head cutely at him. "Oh, really?" she said in her excruciatingly high-pitched voice. In that moment, Brick felt that it sounded akin to nails on a chalkboard. "Well, you're gonna have to deal with _that,_ first!" Bubbles pointed to something behind him.

Brick's eyes widened. "Wh-"

Unsure if it was a trick or not, he turned around just in time to see Blossom with a sizable tree trunk in her arms.

"Take this!" she yelled before swinging it towards him with all the power she could muster.

Brick barely had time to react. His muscles tensed as he deadpanned, "Oh you damn b-"

The trunk slammed down on his head, and in a flash, he was ten feet under. Much to his dismay, even more dirt entered his mouth at the descent. He felt soil and gravel crashing against his tightly closed eyelids. He continued down, unable to grab onto anything to stop himself. He might've gone even deeper down if his head hadn't slammed into a rock hidden deep beneath the ground. The rock collided with his forehead, and Brick's whole body stopped with a loud clunk.

"Crap crap _crap!"_ he hissed. He turned around in the deep hole and applied pressure onto his forehead. His body convulsed at the contact. " _Damn, that hurt!"_ He kicked his legs and bit on his bottom lip as he tried to cope with the pain. He slowly opened his eyes and stared up at the scant light pouring into the hole. Two pairs of eyes stared down at him, and some rain trickled in as well. "I'm gonna get you for that, Blossy!" he snarled as he shakily got to his feet. Even now, he couldn't falter. Nothing so small like a pounding headache could keep him from going.

Up above, the girls stared at him and took in his words. Bubbles whistled. "Dang Blossom, good hit!" she said high-fiving her sister.

"Thanks!" she replied with a graceful flip of her hair. "Ahah, I try my best, you know." She directed her attention back to the hole Brick was stuck in. "Now I'll just freeze him and-"

"Blossom!" Buttercup rasped from behind her, "watch out!"

Blossom wasn't one to ignore her sisters' warnings and flew up into the air at the perfect moment. She looked below her to see Butch's body fly past the spot where she just stood. Although she dodged it, Bubbles was right in his line of vision. He tackled her to the ground, sending the both of them sliding in the dirt. Grass and mud stained their clothes and fallen twigs scratched at their exposed skin.

Butch quirked a brow at his catch. "Not who I was going for, but close enough!" He wrapped his arms around Bubbles's neck and flew high into the air, leaving Blossom and Buttercup screaming behind him. Rain flew into his eyes as he flew, but he didn't care. Bubbles wriggled and thrashed in his grasp while screaming loudly, trying her best to get free. He grit his teeth as his ears popped and rang with the shrill sound, but he stood his ground. He only halted when he was as high in the sky as he wanted. Knowing there'd be at least one Powerpuff on his tail, Butch didn't waste any time. He turned to Bubbles and smiled at her slyly. "Now then, piggy, let's play a game of _toss_!" he purred, tongue lolling out of his mouth. Bubbles shrieked as Butch reeled his arm back. "Aaand…" He threw her with all of his might, his teeth clenching with the movement. "Touchdooown!" he roared, pounding his chest as he watched her being flung through the air.

The force was so great Bubbles couldn't fight against the pressure. Her arms were pressed flat against her body, and she closed her eyes as the wind rushed past her. She couldn't help but open her mouth to scream despite the ground that would surely be waiting for her below. She thought she heard Buttercup's concerned yelling somewhere along the way as she shot through the air, but she couldn't be sure with her eyes tightly shut. Bubbles felt her mouth going dry and voice growing hoarse.

It was a mere three seconds when she finally made contact with the ground and formed her own hole right next to Brick's. Despite the circumstances, Butch's aim was actually quite impressive.

By the time Bubbles collided with the ground, Brick had finally poked his head out from his hole in the ground, head pounding and limbs aching. "S-stupid… girls... I'll... end... you… all...," he managed to cough out between deep breaths.

The greens were quick to make their descent back down to the ground. While Buttercup had chased after Butch to see what he was up to, Blossom had stayed down to keep Brick in check. Seeing Brick crawling out of his hole, she quickly made her way over to Bubbles who was recovering from her own burial.

"Bubbles!" she yelled into the hole, concern clear in her voice. "Are you alright?"

Bubbles was silent for a few moments, still trying to push down the splitting pain spreading throughout her body. "Y-yeah!" she called back, wincing a little bit as she rubbed her head. "I'm alright! I'm coming out!" She got to her feet and slowly but surely made her way up.

Blossom was there to grab her hand and support her as she emerged. Bubbles shook the dirt from her body and made sure to ruffle her hair for any stray particles. Beside them, Brick scowled. The one clear advantage of fighting off villains every single day was that you learned how to recover quickly. Soon after, Buttercup landed, followed by Butch. The boys made eye contact with each other, as did the girls. Blossom finished helping brush Bubbles off and sent her sisters a swift nod. They nodded back and flew into the air.

"Girls!" she yelled over the pouring rain. " _Ultimate Trifecta, now!_ "

Brick quirked a brow and scoffed. "They give their moves fancy names, huh? What a buncha lamos."

They didn't have time to be offended by dumb insults. The comment rolled right off their backs as the girls flew together in a tight circle. Their pace quickened with each cycle until their bodies emitted a bright, blinding ball of light.

Brick's eyes widened. "Oh, _crap_!" He turned to Butch frantically and pulled himself out of his hole. "Dude, they're doing that, uh, stupid, _spinny_ move! The one we did when we were first revived!"

Butch turned to his brother, eyes widening. "Didn't we counter that move by doing it ourselves?"

"Yeah, yeah!" he sputtered, waving his hands frantically. "Now quit blabbin' and hurry up and do it with me!" He turned to his other side. "And you too, Boomer-" Brick cut himself off and froze. His mind caught up with his body, and his lips parted as it dawned on him. They didn't have Boomer. They couldn't counter the girls' move effectively. They were _screwed_.

He turned back to the girls who were still flying in fast circles. The light grew bigger and more intimidating with every passing second.

Butch shrank back as he realized the gravity of the situation, his tone serious for once as he turned to his brother. "C-come on, dude! _You're_ the leader! What do we do?"

Brick could only stare as their attack gained in power. "Shut up! L-let me think!" Brick rubbed at his temples, his mind drawing a blank. "We… we can't… we can't do it without Boomer," he muttered, voice getting panicked. He turned to Butch with frantic eyes. "We- I- we have to run!"

"Aw man," Butch sighed. "Runnin' away from a battle twice in one day? We're makin' ourselves look like real sissies-"

"Shut UP!" Brick yelled, voice climbing in pitch and losing its usual cocky lilt. "Who cares about lookin' like sissies right now?!" He grabbed Butch's hand and began flying away. "If we get hit with _that-_ " He pointed at the gigantic flurry of light that the girls had been charging up for the past minute. By now it had lit up the forest around them, sending small zaps to the air around them. "-we're _toast_!" He trained his eyes forward. "And no way in hell am I getting captured! Not like that- _idiot,_ Boomer!" Brick cursed under his breath. "If he were here, we woulda been able to counter their attack no problem!"

Butch cocked a brow. "Well, weren't we the ones who sent him out in the first p-"

 _BOOM!_

Butch couldn't finish his sentence due to the explosion of light behind them. They both cried out as their small bodies were caught in its range. Electricity jolted up their spines and through their limbs, jump starting their hearts. They felt _on fire_. The pain was amplified by the falling rain and the wet clothes clinging to their bodies. It seemed like the first time they were ever hit with that attack, and man did it _hurt_. Boomer was always there to help deflect it when the girls tried to use it, but this time, they were on their own. Brick curled his fists and grit his teeth to try and withstand the pain. His eyes watered and drool slipped out of his mouth involuntarily.

Butch proved a little more lucky. Just as the first spark hit him, he body instinctively put up his force field, surrounding his body in a little green safe haven. Although he still got shocked quite a bit, the shield deflected a majority of the attack, leaving him mostly unaffected. He couldn't deny his giggles as he watched Brick get shocked. Sure it wasn't something he should laugh at, but the faces Brick made were pretty funny. He'd never tell Brick, though, lest he want to join Boomer in getting constantly picked on.

Finally, the light subsided, and the forest was plunged back into quiet darkness, save for the rain. Then, as if on cue, Brick fell from his spot in the sky like a swatted fly and landed somewhere in a nearby bush.

His giggles came to a halt as his amusement shifted to panic. "Crap," Butch gasped, dropping his shield. He looked back out towards their cabin and saw the girls regaining their grasp on the situation after finishing their attack. If there was any possibility that he and Brick could escape, they had to do it now. And _fast_. Swearing quietly all the way, Butch slowly floated down to the ground to search the bushes, careful not to leave behind his green streak. "Brick!" he hissed. "Brick, where the hell are ya, dude! We need to get out of here! Those damn girls are gonna see us!"

He pushed through the greenery and past the many branches. An exhausted groan floated to him on the wind. Butch whipped his head around and floated towards it. He found Brick laying facedown on the forest floor, his clothes ripped and fried from the electricity.

"Geez, dude! You coulda said something sooner." Butch cautiously peeked behind him to check on the status of the girls. They were searching around the shack for any sign of them, most likely assuming they hadn't tried to fly away during their charge-up.

Butch sucked in a breath and silently thanked Brick for grabbing them out of there when he did. If he hadn't, they'd both be property of the Powerpuff Girls by now. He used his time wisely and roughly hefted Brick onto his shoulders, earning him a half-hearted groan from Brick. Butch was sure that if he were at full health right now, Brick would be yelling at him to quit being a sissy and to put him down. Due to his exhaustion and being fried half to death, Brick remained silent and allowed himself to be carried. Butch took a final peek of the shack they'd stolen from Fuzzy. He knew it'd be the last of it that any of his brothers would be seeing for a long time. And with that, he took off deeper into the forest with his gravely injured brother at his side.

* * *

 _boring fight scene u feel me..._

 _reviews and feedback super appreciated! 3_


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